Nepal travel advice and Information

Nepal travel advice and Information

Small wonderful country in between two big giants but still has lots to see. Has famous monuments, lovely mountains, popular trails, interesting safaris, once in a lifetime adventures including Paragliding, Bungee jumping, Zip line and ultra-lights. Everest is the major attraction however you go on foot, helicopter, drive or combination. More than 60 ethnic groups, 30 spoken language, three different geographic areas, variable climates due to variation in elevation from tropical forest to tundra of the high mountains. Nepal is full of lush green farmland to dew desert behind the snowcapped mountains. Hilly area contains a lot of tiny terraces where they grow different types of crops and fruits. Mountain area is full of medicinal herbs. Here we are going to give essential information regarding visit to Nepal.

Best time to visit Nepal

When to go Nepal depends with what you want to do in Nepal. If you love trekking the best time is from September to December and March to May. Many of the trails full of rhododendron flower in April. Short treks in lower elevation can be done throughout the year but trekking in the higher elevation is difficult in the winter. The best time to do safari is winter time as there is very less greenery and the animals are moving here and there to find there foods. Doing the cultural tour you can come to Nepal at any time. The monsoons are concentrated in June-August, except monsoon months throughout the year is good for doing cultural tour in Nepal. All the expeditions are carried out post winter as snow get stabilized and pre-monsoon.

Nepal visa

All foreigners need to get visa to visit Nepal. The citizens from most of the country can get Nepal Visa upon arrival; there are some countries that are not eligible for on arrival visa. The visa is issued at point of entry after producing your passport, filling out necessary details and paying the visa fees. Current visa fee is $30 for 15 days and $50 for one month. SAARC country citizen get Gratis Visa. The Visa is multiple entries as long as it is valid. If there are consulates or Nepalese embassy nearby you, you can get visa from there before you depart.

How to get in to Nepal

There are different airlines flying to Nepal. There is a very good connection from Middle East especially from Qatar. For Europeans the Turkish Airline is flying directly from Istanbul to Kathmandu. People coming overland can enter Nepal from different bordering town from India or people travelling from Tibet they can enter from Kerung border overland. As in Middle East and Malaysia there are lots of Nepalese working so please book your ticket with anticipation.

Hotels in Nepal

There are wide varieties of accommodation available in Nepal that ranges from a hostel costing few dollars a night up to Royal suites in Big hotel costing about $2000 a night.

Restaurants and dining

Wide varieties of Nepalese as well as other cuisines are catered by different restaurants in different parts of Kathmandu. There are concentrations of good restaurants in Thamel area. Some Nepalese restaurants offer even live singing and dancing in dinner.

Nepal must-sees and must- dos

Once you are here in Nepal, one must go to see the Everest by any means must visit Durbar squares, must go to Pokhara. Lumbini the birthplace of Buddha is very famous among Buddhist visitors. Must do some village tours and must do safari in Chitwan. People who love landscapes must do some trekking.

The most popular trekking routes in Nepal

People from around the globe like to see the roof of the world so most of the people going for Everest Base camp so the Everest Base camp is the most popular trekking route in Nepal. Besides Everest Base Camp they can do Everest Panorama Trek which is part of Everest Base Camp trek but just up to Tyangboche, a popular viewpoint from where one can get a spectacular view of Everest and retrace back to Lukla. Harder than Everest Base Camp in Everest area is doing the Everest Three High Pass trekking which gives the real sense of adventure.

After Everest region another popular trek is going to the Annapurna region and reaching the Annapurna Base Camp which is much easier than reaching the Everest Base Camp or doing the Annapurna circuit which starts in Beshisahar and ends in Pokhara. There are numerous small treks which could be done in few days in Annapurna area.

Less crowed but still a great trek is done in Langtang area visiting Langtang valley that reach up to Kyanging Gumba, one can make a pass to visit the holy lake of Gosainkunda or trek back to same point from where they start. There is still another popular trek from the area to discover Melamchi valley and walking in the Helambu area. The Helambu trek is one of the cheapest treks in Nepal so far.

Recently getting popular is the Manaslu area which takes to the eighth highest peak of the Himalayan region and takes to the high pass of Larkya and descends down to Beshisahar.

Trekking with very less visitor is Kanchanjunga Area, Dhawalagiri Area, Makalu-Barun area and Dolpo area. These areas needs special permits to go there and need to go through certified and registered trekking company only.

Scams in Nepal

Milk for Baby scams

Quite a few woman normally who does not speak Nepali come nearby the tourist and they are accompanied with small child most of the time and with empty feeding bottles. They say they don’t want money just buy some milk for their child. In many cases a child is big enough can eat anything. Many tourists feel sorry for them and like to buy milk so follow them. The woman takes them to a shop nearby and buying some powder milk which come in a container from 500 grams up to 2 kilos. They try to buy as bigger as possible. When the buyer disappears and returns back to the same shop and both share the percentage. So we encourage all our clients not to buy milks for these types of women and children and neither gives them money. As most of the tour guide tell them to their customers at the beginning of the tour so now a day they are focused on tourist who make sightseeing on their own.

Book for school scams

This happens mostly in sightseeing places like Bhaktapur where a child approach you and ask to buy school books as his/ her parents are poor and cannot afford to buy the books. Everybody feels pity on these kids and try to buy the book. The school books are subsidized by the government so does not cost that much. The child end up showing the dictionaries which are relatively costing more and get more money on return of that. In fact they are on these sightseeing places every day and never go to school; you can imagine that they are looking somebody during school hours.

Collection of coin scams

Wherever you go there will be somebody who is great lover of coins from different countries and like to collect coins from your countries too. People think they have seen the coin collector and they give whatever coin they have. Sameday or next day these persons find people from the country from which they already have the coins and tell them somebody gave them the coin which they cannot change in Nepal so change with Nepalese rupees and make rupees.

Touts in the airport

It is very disappointing for many of our customers, as you come out from the airport they will grab your bag or trolley and takes towards your transport which is barely few meters away as you reach near your transport look for a handsome tip and if you give little very disappointed. So the bags should be given only to your guide, driver or representative from the company.

Strip dance scams

There are lot of people walking in Thamel and ask the foreigners especially to individual man and offer them beautiful strip dance, massage, girls, free drink and take you to the dance bars where there are girls. The girls come nearby in the form of the waitress and ask you to order the drink and when they serve the drink they want a drink on your money too. Anyway you end up paying an expensive bill for normal drink. If you try to protest they have got bouncers who make you pay what the bill is whether you have consumed or not?

Cheap trekking scams

There are lot of people wandering around in Thamel have the visiting card of the company and offer you cheap trekking to your desired destination. If you follow them they will take to the offices and sell you expensive tour. The price is much higher than what you get in Internet with good company.